Wildlife Vets Namibia

01/07/2025

Wildebeest have a tendency to remain standing following immobilization. This golden wildebeest bull in particular did not show any inclination to become recumbent (lying down) after being darted... Well, fine with us 🤣 Since it was just a short drive and the bull did not need much restraining, we decided not to give any additional sedation and we moved him while he was still standing.

In case of longer drives, or when the animal is still quite strong, we would give a top-up to ensure everyone's safety. The bull was moved to another area.

30/06/2025

Our June Newsletter is Online! Check the link below.

💤 Animals have several strategies to survive winter. Did you know that the Southern African hedgehog undergoes some form of hibernation?
🆕 We have an important update... Wildlife Vets Namibia is now a CC! Exciting times for us, but it also comes with some administrative changes.
🥶 Winter is really here... Are you a fan ort winter or absolutely not? Wild animals have several strategies to stay warm, but farmers do have a few options to help animals get through. In the newsletter we give some tips!
🦒 We give an update on the Namibian giraffe mortalities. We again kindly ask all farmers to please fill in the survey: https://forms.gle/o3CYeA3rCqC4FZiw9

Click here to read and download the newsletter: https://wildlifevetsnamibia.com/documentation/newsletters

Enjoy, and stay warm!

29/06/2025

Update on the giraffe mortalities. We urge all farmers that have seen dead and/or sick to please fill in this survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfU2_xADDlLQdZ_cG-FdK6_pYuGBQPIyW7zgw9ZnF17X996Dw/viewform

While the number remains uncertain, it is expected that 200 giraffes have died in Namibia from an undetermined cause. Veterinarians and farmers in Namibia are grappling with a troubling surge in giraffe deaths that have occurred over a large part of the country north of Windhoek. The cause remains u...

26/06/2025

Clear skies and dusty trails; another long stretch of driving in Namibia!

We cover thousands of kilometers each year. Fortunately, Namibia’s roads are mostly in great shape, and our trusty VW takes us all over the country, and abroad!

🚗
🧭
🛣️
💨

Autohaus Windhoek Volkswagen

24/06/2025

The roan antelope is Africa’s second largest antelope species. Did you know that private game farmers play a critical role in the survival of this species? Check out the video to see how we dart immobilize a roan from the helicopter!

Private game farms provide a safe haven where roans can thrive, and many of these actively manage breeding programs. With these breeding programs, the roan population is growing and genetic diversity is maintained and even improved. This roan, together with some others, was moved to another game farm in Namibia.

Insta360 Simon Wildlife Services

21/06/2025

Successfully darted and loaded 10 giraffes on World Giraffe Day 🦒💪

Thank you Simon Wildlife Services team!

21/06/2025

🦒 How far can you stick your neck out? It is World Giraffe Day! 🦒

Fortunately, giraffes are doing well in Namibia, population numbers and their distribution have increased due to well-managed conservation efforts by private game farmers, conservation organizations and the government. Giraffes in Namibia are as tough as it can be, they can survive in harsh arid environments and can go without water for a certain period, by getting most of their hydration from the leaves they eat.

The giraffe on the photo were translocated within Namibia. Over the years we have gained a lot of experience with translocating giraffes even over long distances. On our YouTube channel you can find some examples of giraffe translocations: https://youtu.be/e0abTULkrXM?si=tllK97WipBbCtFQ4

If you want to know more about giraffe conservation, have a look at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Did you know that they have an interesting online library, where you can find lots of information about giraffes? Visit the library via this link: https://library.giraffeconservation.org/

18/06/2025

📸 Team Photo!

The Wildlife Vets Namibia team consist of Dr Ulf, Mariska, Frederick, Manu and Romario. Here we are standing in front of our elephant wake-up crate. Ever wondered what it takes to wake up an elephant that needs to be relocated? Step one: A great team 😎 Step two: A large and very strong crate! 💪

When the elephant is loaded in the wake up crate, it gets injected with reversal drugs (an antidote), and the doors are closed. If you look closely, you see two doors on the other side of the wake up crate. This is our transport crate. Once the elephant stands up, we open these doors, and the elephant walks over. Then the doors are closed again, and we can do the next one!

13/06/2025

🌑 Friday the 13th? No bad luck, no superstition... but an interesting night in the field!

Under the cover of the darkness, we dart immobilized and collared a few spotted hyenas! Working at night always gives an extra dimension to the work. The collars will give valuable information to researchers so they can learn more about their movements, behaviour and social structures.

13/06/2025

All the animals of the Namibia Stud Game Breeders have been delivered! We are very proud to be part of this initiative!

Once again a huge thanks to all the buyers, sellers and organisers who made this auction into a great success!

11/06/2025

Have you seen a leopard from up close before? Now is your chance 😉🐆

While this young male may look sweet now whilst he is immobilized, they are feisty predators! A leopard relies on stealth, power, and agility to catch their prey. In the video you can see that leopards have both spots, and rosettes. Rosettes are round, often rose-shaped circles. The colour of the fur, together with the spots and rosettes, provide the leopard with excellent camouflage. This is called 'Disruptive Colouration', the irregular dark rosettes and the lighter background break up the leopard’s outline, making it harder for prey to detect them.

If you want to know more about how animals camouflage themselves, have a look at our May 2025 newsletter here: https://wildlifevetsnamibia.com/documentation/newsletters

09/06/2025

One of the most common questions we receive when dart vaccinating kudu and eland against rabies is, how do we keep track of which animals have been darted?

First of all, we fly over the farm in transects, and locate the animals. The drop-out darts have been made up (with the rabies vaccine) before hand. Once a group of animals is located, we try to dart them one by one, as fast as we can! For every 3-4 darts, we use a marker dart from Motsumi Darts. These darts leave an ink spot behind on the animal. This makes it easier to identify the groups that have been done, and the helicopter does not need to 'dive in' twice on a group. Sometimes the darts stick for a while, and sometimes we can also identify the animals by a small bleeding spot from the injection site.

Do you want to know more about rabies, and how this disease affects our kudu and eland population? Have a look at the Documentation section on our website: https://wildlifevetsnamibia.com/documentation/articles